A trash receptacle comprising a rack, a central container in said rack with outer containers on each side of the central container and a structure carried by and spaced from said rack for retaining newspapers and the like....http://www.google.com/patents/US3856173?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US3856173 - Trash receptacle

A trash receptacle comprising a rack, a central container in said rack with outer containers on each side of the central container and a structure carried by and spaced from said rack for retaining newspapers and the like.

5 4 in m 1 TRASH REGEPTACLE This invention relates to' trash: receptacles and more specifically to a novel and improved receptacle to facilitate the separation of trash and at the same time provide a structure that'is both attractive and convenient.

itate reclamation of materials and thereby reduce pol-' lution caused by conventional disposal procedures such as burning and; the like. The utilization of a plurality of receptacles for trash separation has been proposed, but known structures are generally designed solely for outdoor use and are not adaptable for use in the home. Moreover, such prior known structures are bulky, unattractive and relatively complicated and expensive.

The trash receptacle in accordance with the invention has as one of its objects the provision of an improved arrangement and coordination of receptacles for the disposal of trash which is not only attractive but affords useful and convenient means for segregation of trash such as bottles, papers, cans and the like.

Another object of the invention resides in 'the provision of a novel and improved trash receptacle arrangement wherein a plurality of receptacles are coordinated tion includes a central receptacle having a removable cover containing openings .for insertion of one form of trash such as paper, two smaller receptacles on each side thereof for bottles, cans and the like,'and a coordinated rack for supporting thereceptacles and providing means for holding newspapers, magazines and the like.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood from the'following description an accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the Drawings:

FIGS. 1 m4 are top, rear, front and side views respectively of a rack in accordance with the invention for receiving and holding trash receptacles,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are top and rear views of the combination of the rack of FIGS. 1 to 4 and trash receptacles in accordance with the invention,-

FIG. 7 is a front view in partial section of the rack and receptacles shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the structureshown in'FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

Referring now to the drawings, the trash receptacle in accordance with the invention comprises a rack generally denoted by the numeral 10 a central trash receptacle 11, and two smaller side receptacles l2 and 13. The rack 10 which may be formed of metal, plastic, or other suitable material comprises an essentially rectangular frame 14 having a rear 'member 15, side members 16 and 17, and a front member 18 having a section 18' spaced outwardly from the plane of the front member 18 to accommodate the receptacle 11. A pair of elon gated U-shaped members Hand 20 have upwardly ex-' tending legs 21 and 22, the upper ends of which are secured to the side members 16 and 17 of the frame 14.

An inverted U-shaped structure 23 is secured to the rear member 15 of the frame l4 with the legs 24 and 25 extending downwardly. An enlarged inverted U- shaped rack 26 has downwardly extending legs 27 and 28 with the lower end of each leg having a portion 29 which is curvedoutwardly and upwardly and terminates in a downwardly extending portion joined to one of the legs 24 and 25 of the U-shaped member 23. In the instant embodiment of the invention, the portion 29 of the leg 27 and the portion 29 of the leg 28 engage cups 30 secured to the lower ends of the legs 24 and 25.

As will be described, the structure 26 is designed to retain newspapers and similararticles and the reverse curvature of the portions 29 will retain the newspapers when the structure 26 is removed. If desired the structure 26 may be permanently attached to the lower ends of the legs 24 and 25.

The central trash container 'll'comprises a hollow receptacle 31 which is tapered downwardly and inwardly and is disposed centrally of the rack 10 with the front side 32 engaging the offset portion l8- of the front member 18 of the frame 17. The top of the container 31 is closed by a triangular shaped cover 33 having a pair of hinged doors 34 and 35 which may be either spring loaded or weighted to hold them in a normally closed positionas illustrated. The ,cover 33 is readily removable from the rack in order to discard the trashcollected therein.-

Receptacles '12 and 13 are identical in structure and each receptacle is provided with side walls 36 and 37 disposed in parallel relationship and having an inclination coordinatedwith the inclination of the side walls of the container 31. The front and rear walls 38 and 39 of the receptacles l2 and 13 are preferably formed integrally with the walls 36 and 37 and are retained by the rack 10 so that the walls 37 lie flat against the sides of the central container 31 to give the appearance of a unitary coordinated structure. Each of the containers 12 and 13 further includes a cover 40 hinged at 41 to the side wall 37. The covers 40 are shown in solid lines in the closed position and in broken lines in the open position. I

With the invention as described above, it is evident that the receptacles ll, 12 and 13 can be independently removed from the rack 10 in order to empty the contents therefrom and at the same time the U-shaped structure 26 may also be independently removed. The positioning of the U-shaped structure 26 to the rear of r the central receptacle 27 provides space for the storage of newspapers and other similar articles so that they are normally out of sight when the receptacle assembly is placed against the wall of a kitchen, utility room or the like. By the provision of three individual receptacles, trash can be readily segregated by utilizing the central receptacle 11 for instance for paper, the receptacle 12 for bottles, and the receptacle 13 for cans and other metal objects. Separation of trash in this way greatly facilitates the recycling of trash in comunities wherein collection services are provided for the collection of trashof different materials. It is well recognized that the disposal of trash has presented a serious ecological problem and in order to minimize the problem of trash disposal it is essential that recycling processes be insti- '3 tuted for those materials capable of being recycled. This invention contributes materially toward the institution of an effective recycling system in that it enables the individual to easily segregate trash and thus avoid the need for complicated and expensivesystems for segregating trash after it has become intermixed.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent that alterations, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: i

1. A trash receptacle comprising a rack having a substantially rectangular, horizontally disposedframe including two long sides and two short side portions, one of said long sides having a portion disposed-centrally thereof spaced outwardly therefrom and in the plane of said frame, legs carried by said frame to support the tapered downwardly and inwardly and said outer receptacles having walls adjoining the first said receptacle which are parallel to the walls of said first receptacle and said rack includes a structure secured to and extending upwardly therefrom and in spaced relationship to said first container.